1st Corinthians 3 - The Temple of God

1st Corinthians 3:16-17 - ^"16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? ¹⁷If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."

^"16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" - As a body of believers, we all form the church (God's temple) and God's Spirit lives in each and every one of us when we are baptized (Acts 2:38).

As the church we gather weekly to worship God. We the people are the church - not the building. The building was, is, and will always be just a tool for reaching others. The true church is the gathering of believers - in, or out of a building. Together, we are the temple of God.

^"17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple." - This is a very important concept to grasp. God loves his church. In Scripture, the church is referred to as the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7).

I love my wife more than anything but God. If someone came to my house and tried to destroy my wife, I would absolutely want to destroy them. God loves his church so much that He sent Jesus to give His life for it. He sacrificed His only Son so that His church could have life.

If anyone destroyed the church, Scripture tells us clearly that God will destroy that person because the church is sacred to God.

The word "sacred" comes from the Latin root of the word sacrare. The basic meaning when you boil everything down is this - "set apart, made holy." God has set his church apart from everything else and made it holy through the blood of Jesus.

So that begs the question, how do you stop from destroying the church? Well, to answer that, the only things that would destroy a church are divisiveness and blasphemy. I have seen church members split a church over things as simple as decorations in the church. God hates when the church fights amongst itself because it throws us off mission from what we're supposed to be doing.

Blasphemy, we understand, because that is all about speaking out against the church and against God, but sometimes, we can be guilty of a divisive nature against Scripture and against the church. We have to stay away from doing that. We need to remember that the church is "sacrare", it is set apart and made holy by God and we should be building the church up, not tearing it down.

Remember, we are the temple of God and God loves us more than anything.

1st Corinthians 3 - A Day of Testing

1st Corinthians 3:12-15 - ^"12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. ¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

^"12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is," - The only foundation we need to use as a base for faith is Jesus. This verse has always reminded me of the story of the three little pigs.

The first two pigs built their homes out of straw and wood (two things mentioned in the previous verse) and when the Big Bad Wolf came along and blew wind on them, their houses fell flat because the basic materials and foundations were not enough against the schemes of the wolf.

Satan is our Big Bad Wolf and our foundations of faith will not stand against him if they're made of anything other than Jesus.

"because the Day will bring it to light." - Notice the word "Day" is capitalized. That means it refers to something or someone very specific. This particular "Day" Paul refers to is the "Day of Judgment" when Jesus will return and God will judge the world. (Revelation 19-20)

"It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work." - In medieval times, a blacksmith would use fire to test the quality of the metals he worked with. A fire would usually expose any flaws a piece of metal had and would either purify that piece of metal or show that it was unusable.

God will test our foundations on the Day of Judgment.

^"14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward." - I would like to go a little deeper and give you the King James Translation of these last two scriptures as well. ("If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward." - KJV)

If the foundation you use to build for others' faith is Jesus Christ, you have nothing to worry about. Jesus is your rock and he is the only thing that can save you and those whose faith you choose to build up.

^"15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." - And now, the King James Version ("If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." - KJV)

If the foundation you use to build for others' faith is not Jesus, you have bigger problems. They will not be saved, hence - "suffer loss". You will be saved because your foundation is Christ, but you will pass through some pretty harsh judgment for not using Christ as a basis for other people's faith.

The only thing that we need to base our faith and the faith of others is Jesus.

1st Corinthians 3 - The Foundation

1st Corinthians 3:10-11 - ^"10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. ¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

^"10By the grace God has given me" - Paul makes a very short, often overlooked statement about grace. One of the many definitions of grace, and the one that applies here, is this - mercy; clemency; pardon. God pardoned our sins through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and God gave us the gift of grace. He didn't have to, but He chose to because He wanted to.

Paul did everything by God's grace.

Think of grace like an eraser. When you make a mistake with a pencil, you can use the eraser to wipe away your mistake forever. Grace does the same thing with your sin. It erases it away forever.

"I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it." - The foundation Paul refers to here, is the fledgling foundation of the faith of the Christ-followers at the church in Corinth. Paul came in an expertly told the story of Jesus and laid the foundation for the church's faith, but now they have a new leader, a new pastor at their church and he is building on the foundation Paul laid down.

Your job may be to get someone in the doors of the church. By doing so, you are laying a foundation for their faith. It may be someone else's job to build on that foundation though.

Bill Hybels once said to think of measuring a person's faith on a line with zero being the point where they accept Christ and the negative numbers representing their journey toward that acceptance. The positive numbers that follow represents their growth after they accept Christ. Now, taking that into account, your job may be to take a person from a negative 8 to a negative 5, whereas someone else may take them from a negative 5 to the zero. It all depends on God.

You may lay the foundation, but it may be someone else's job to build on that foundation.

"But each one should be careful how he builds." - If you are not careful how you build, you may end up building a house without a strong foundation and we all know what can happen to that kind of house. If you don't know, read this parable that Jesus told.

^"11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." - Everything is based on Christ. Everything revolves around Him. Nothing works without Him. If you don't build your foundation on Jesus, it will not last. It like sticking a towel bar on the wall with Elmer's glue. It won't stay up when you put any kind of weight on it.

Your foundation is the basis for your faith and that base has to be Jesus. Nothing else will work.

1st Corinthians 3 - Our Purpose

1st Corinthians 3:7-9 - ^"7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ⁹For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."

"7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." - Continuing his discourse from verse 6, Paul makes a blanket statement for everyone - every human that has ever lived, is living, or will live on this earth - We are nothing. Only God is something. God can make things (people's lives) grow. We need to give him all of our worship because He is all that matters.

^"8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose" - Did you ever view your life as having purpose? Did you ever think that God wanted to use you to accomplish His purposes? That's exactly what Paul means by this statement. We all have different gifts and abilities given to us by God. In His infinite wisdom, God has made us very diverse from each other.

For example, I have a gift for playing and singing music, but when it comes to working with tools, or carving wood, I am absolutely pathetic. But, there are some people who would say just the opposite. We all have a purpose in the Kingdom of God. Paul's was to travel around and plant the "seed" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Apollos set out to "water" or encourage and teach more about that Gospel. They each had a different purpose, but neither one of them was anything without God.

I can't play the keys or sing without God. You can't fulfill your purpose in the church without God. He is the only thing that matters.

"and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." - This is a tricky verse to interpret. But here's the crux of this verse. Each of us who know, believe in, and love Jesus will one day live in heaven with Him forever. That is our reward. It's everyone's reward. Now, that doesn't mean that our work that we do for Christ is the only thing that will get us to heaven - you have to take Scripture as a whole - you can't pick and choose. What it does mean is that one day, our reward will be life in heaven with Christ forever.

^"9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." - Quite simply: We are the servants of God and we accomplish His purposes for our lives. The world is God's field where the "seed" of the Gospel is planted, and the church is the building of God, the Bride of Christ.

1st Corinthians 3 - Who Do You Follow?

I hope that last post has had time to sink in by now - let's go.

1st Corinthians 3:4-6 - ^"4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? ⁵What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

^"4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?" - To set the stage for this, you have to understand the church at Corinth around the time that Paul wrote this letter.

The church was splitting over who they wanted to listen to.

Amazing. A church...splitting....over a difference of opinion. That never happens today (insert sarcasm here). I've heard of churches who have split over things as petty as music style, bulletin inserts and announcements, class situations, and even decor in the foyer.

None of which has to do with Jesus which is who the church should be concentrating on.

"5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—" - Apollos and Paul were both teachers of Jesus at the time this letter was written and Paul was getting ready to lay the smack down on these Corinthians for following men instead of Jesus.

These men were simply "servants." they were ministers serving God in obedience to His will. They weren't idols to be followed - and Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that.

"as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." - Each believer is used to accomplish specific tasks in God's Kingdom, but while humans may be used to cultivate things, only God can make them grow.

In the church, we are called to each do a job for God. We have to be faithful and be obedient in doing that job, but we also have a wonderful concept of diversity, which means we each do things a little differently than others. However, it's not about us. The church belongs to God and He alone can take ownership of the church and make it grow.

When we are faithful and celebrate accomplishing tasks through our vast diversities, God will grow the church.

1st Corinthians 3 - Worldly = Spiritually Immature

This one's long, but it sets the stage for what's to come in this chapter.

1st Corinthians 3:1-3 - "¹Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. ²I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?"

"¹Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ." - As we pick up this chapter in 1st Corinthians, it is important to note the culture Paul was writing to. As of the time Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth, there had been many divisive issues that had been brought up in the church and the church was in danger of splitting.

Paul picks it up in verse 1 of Chapter 3 by addressing the entire church at Corinth. Notice he uses the term "Brothers" which implies that we are all part of the same church. Paul was identifying himself with this group of believers under the common umbrella of Christ, but he was getting ready to rock their world.

He says that he could not address them as spiritual but as worldly, meaning that they chose to fight among themselves over non-essential issues - rather than see God's work completed in their town. Churches all over this country fight this battle week in and week out and I pray and weep for them because they are letting Satan have a foothold in their church and their vision of fulfilling the Great Commission is waning because of their petty differences.

It was the same for the church in Corinth.

Paul also calls them "mere infants in Christ." A baby cannot think for itself, change itself, or feed itself. It constantly requires someone else to watch over it and help it with everything it does. Here we see the same thing, just in the format of the church. Paul is telling this congregation that every squabble they have makes them look weak, and the church is not weak. However, since they have chosen to act like babies, Paul is going to treat them and write to them as such.

^"2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready." - Paul desperately desires for this church to be what it was when it started - a vibrant alive, passionate move of God. To use Randy Jackson's term, The church in Corinth was "blazing hot" for Christ when it started and then the arguments and the divisive nature set in and the church absolutely derailed from its vision.

Paul wants to teach this church new things, but he cannot until they move on from their "milk" diet and crave the "solid food" teachings of scripture that they should have been learning by that point.

Sometimes our churches get wrapped around petty issues that we should be ignoring and stifling. We need to move on to the more "solid" teachings of scripture and grow in Christ.

You can't stay a child forever - you have to grow up sometime.

^"3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?" - There is a key to this verse and Paul was looking for it in the church at Corinth but he did not see it.

The key is change.

A changed life is the only way we will ever grow in Christ. When we lived in our former lives, we lived for worldly things. We had worldly discussions, we played worldly games, we thought worldly thoughts. However, according to Colossians 3, we died to ourselves. We have a "new self" a new identity in Christ and we no longer belong to the world. We have to change.

Paul told the church at Corinth that they were acting like "mere men" when they should have risen up and been the church. When will people stop caring about their particular tastes in church and just be concerned about the church? When will people stop their petty squabbles and controversy over decor or dress or style of music and be concerned about reaching the lost for Christ and edifying the body of Christ?

We HAVE to change.

Not the truth of scripture. That is ever-constant. But we have to change the method for how we do things. Here are a couple of examples of things that would not have changed if we never changed:





Now, while funny, they illustrate a great point. We have to embrace change. If we don't change, we will always be worldly and Jesus has called us to a much higher standard.

Change has come - and his name is Jesus and the vessel is the church.

What do you need to change in your life in order to stop living a worldly lifestyle?

Philippians 3 - Citizens of Heaven

Philippians 3:20-21 - ^"20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

^"20But our citizenship is in heaven." - Oh, I'm sorry. You thought you were a U.S. Citizen? Well, technically you still are, but only temporarily. The day you gave your life to Christ, was the day that you started your new found citizenship in the kingdom of heaven where God rules over all and in all. We belong there.

"And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" - Guess where Jesus is? That's right, in heaven and the Bible says that he is preparing a place for us. One day he will return for us and take us home and I cannot think of anything better in the universe than that day. Neither does Paul, who uses the word "eagerly."

^"21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control," - Notice how much power Jesus has. Everything is under his control. Blades of grass and bugs are under his control. People and their lives are under his control. Weather is under his control. The earth's orbit around the sun is under his control. The sun's ability to give us heat and light is under his control. Our galaxy is under his control. The entire universe is under his control and we know that because the Bible tells us that EVERYTHING is under his control.

"will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." - And by that power, one day we will not live in our finite earthly bodies, but we will be given bodies that will never tire, never fail, never quit. They will be infinite replicas of Jesus' glorious body, meaning it will be a spiritual body. One that cannot die. Jesus will complete the work he started in us by transforming us wholly and making us holy.

Tomorrow we'll start 1st Corinthians Chapter 3

Philippians 3 - Enemies of the Cross

Philippians 3:17-19 - ^"17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. ¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things."

^"17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you." - The best way to follow Paul's example is to read scripture and note what Paul did when he was confronted with certain situations. The best way to watch how others live according to Paul's pattern, is to find a church that you can be active in and surround yourself with Godly people who are living for Jesus. I am blessed to work at a church like that!

^"18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ." - Unfortunately, the Devil is real, contrary to what Deepak Chopra would tell you. His sole mission and aim in this world is to make people into the enemies of Christ. He doesn't care how much he has to wreck your life in order to get you to hate God. He doesn't care how much he has to hurt you in order for you to walk away. He hates God and he wants you to hate him also, but remember what God has in store for him. (Revelation 20:10)

^"19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame" - This is the fate of enemies of Christ - destruction; they will end up with ruined and broken lives. They follow their stomachs - think about that for a second. That means, when they feel the urge to do something, they do it. There is absolutely no self-control. No purpose. No integrity. They follow the desires of their flesh - whatever it wants, it gets. And the last part, their glory is in their shame, meaning - they will have no glory. It's all false.

"Their mind is on earthly things" - Here's the key. They follow their fleshly desires because they're focused on the here and now. They would rather follow their own selfish desires for one minute than obey God's commands, which ultimately lead to a better style of life anyway - and so they are bound for a destructive lifestyle.

You need to focus on the future, not the present. Live with God as your purpose.

We Couldn't Have Done It Without You

Mike Edmisten told me on the way to church this morning, "Something feels different about this Easter. I don't know what, but something."

He was right.

He absolutely preached his guts out. I absolutely led worship with everything I had. But it wasn't because of us that the service was memorable....it was because of our volunteers who showed up and brought their "A" games with them this morning.

Big props to Josh Young who spent extra time creating loops to be used in our songs this morning and who spends time every week practicing the heck out of every song. His help in the media presentation by creating the logo for the series, the countdown, background and bumper videos was stellar, as is his attitude during each and every service.

Massive thanks to Phil Prather, who spent extra time this week not only practicing, but rearranging the stage and sound setup with Josh Young when they had a ton of better things they could have been doing.

A big shout out to Dane Dincler, who we could not have moved forward in worship without. His practice time every week is more than apparent as is his talent for playing bass which never ceases to amaze me. (a little secret church, the bass isn't even his primary instrument!)

Awesome job this morning by Sara Bunton, who was flawless on harmony vocals. It's nice to have a rotating team of singers who are so versatile. Thanks Sara for your attitude of service.

Huge High Fives to Bev Dincler and Carol Sexton who ran our sound and media this morning. Great job you two! You make working with a worship service a cakewalk because you not only take direction, but you ask a lot of questions. I am so blessed to work with you both. You guys did awesome this morning.

I would also like to reciprocate rippling pectoral muscles to Seth Layman for his outstanding performance this morning as "Guilt." When Mike and I dreamed this element up, we never had any idea that it would be as "smashing" of a success as it was. Seth's portrayal of the character went over huge, and if you weren't there, you missed out big time. He's probably still picking glass out of his hand.

We also couldn't have done the job we did this morning without the help of Jeff Detherage who lended his constructive talents to creating the frame that held the mirror. It exceeded every expectation that I had. Great job Jeff! (He also spent a lot of time fixing things around the church before Easter, and I gotta say, the place looked great.)

Thanks also to John Bach who lended his help by welcoming people today. It was refreshing to have someone new onstage to address the congregation and I think it went very well.

Finally, big props to Mike Edmisten, who although technically isn't a volunteer, spent more time prepping for this service than most people will ever know. His vision for where we're headed is unbelievable, and I am blessed to work alongside this man of God. His message was one of the best I've ever heard from him and the conviction with which he preaches seems to be limitless. Church, we are blessed to have this man to teach us, and I want to make sure we never take him for granted.

To everyone who made today the huge success that it was, you are all awesome, I am humbled by the creative talents you bring to make our ministry and our church what it is. May God bless each and every one of you.

God made everything possible this morning, but I want you all to know that I work with the most awesome people on the planet!

Philippians 3 - Live It !

Well, after a sick day, I'm back at it.

Philippians 3:15-16 - "¹⁵All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

"All of us who are mature should take such a view of things." - Ouch. I mean, leave it to Paul to hit you over the head with truth. The word that leaps out to me in this verse, and should leap out to you, is the word "mature."

The word mature can be defined as complete in natural growth or development, or fully developed in body or mind. Now, that doesn't mean you're flawless, but it does mean you're growing in the Spirit, knowing that Jesus will fill in any cracks between what we are and what we should be.

"And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." - This is a really interesting verse, because it has been used out of context a lot of times. Quite simply, this verse says, if you don't understand, God will make it clear to you in time. This is directed at yourself - it is not a verse used to beat others over the head with. You can't look at your fellow Christian and say, "I understand, but God will make it clear to you someday," because that's arrogant pride. This verse was intended to keep us humble - not arrogant.

^"16Only let us live up to what we have already attained." - Christian maturity involves acting upon the guidance you have already received. We will always have more things we can learn. The teaching in these verses is for us to live up to what we already know and live out what we have already learned.

Keep discovering how Jesus wants you to live, but live up to and live out what He has already taught you.

Philippians 3 - Press On!

Philippians 3:12-14 - ^"12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"

^"12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect," - Paul wanted to know Christ and his power and attain eternal life with Him and here he says he has not obtained it yet because you have to die to receive eternal life. Also, Paul uses the word "perfect" in this sentence. There are three different kinds of perfection:

1. Perfect Relationship - We are perfect because we have a relationship with Jesus This perfection is unchangeable.
2. Perfect Progress - We grow and mature spiritually as we continue to learn from and mature in Christ. This perfection is changeable because it depends on our daily walk with Him. At times in life we are more mature than other times.
3. Completely Perfect - When Jesus returns, we will be made completely perfect.

"but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - Paul wants to mature more in Christ by continuing his perfect progress and by doing that he says that he wants to press on.

It's really interesting, because this scripture came up in my sermon yesterday about not having excuses when God calls us to do something. We need to press on when we serve, and never quit.

^"13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it." - This is so important that Paul feels the need to break what he said down for everyone to understand. Paul wants everyone to know that he has not reached the end of his goal. He is still straining, still pressing on.

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead," - This is one of the hardest things for Christians to do - forgive ourselves. In God's definition, when He forgives our sins, he declares, "I will remember them no more." (Hebrews 10:17) Paul had a lot of things to forget in his past. So do we. Paul felt a need to forget what was behind and strain toward his goal of attaining eternal life. So do we.

^"14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" - Church, we can't stop. We have to press on. It's all about Jesus. If we're living for anything other than him, then we're not obeying his commands. We need to be completely sold out for Jesus - One hundred percent.

Don't quit. Press on!

No Excuses!

This Sunday, we're going to do something different at ACC.

This Sunday, I'm going to take on the message and deliver what I feel God has given to me to say to our ACC family. Josh Young will be leading worship in my place again, which is something he does a fabulous job of, and Mike will play guitar and deliver a communion devotion.

This will accomplish three purposes. One, it allows me to speak from my heart something that God has been nagging at me to say for a long time. Secondly, it will help us work more efficiently at the church since this week gave Mike some time to get a jump on his preaching schedule for the rest of the calendar year and it also gave him some time to get his outlines drafted for the next three messages. Thirdly, it gives Mike and I fresh perspectives on how the service runs, from completely different angles than normal.

Now, please understand, this is not a task that I take very lightly. God has called Mike to preach at ACC and he does an incredible job at it. God has gifted him in several areas, but none are more apparent than the way the God has gifted Mike to be able to prepare and deliver a message.

For Mike to turn this time over to me is an enormous honor and I have spent my time prepping accordingly. Church, it is a burden to preach, but when God tells you to jump, you ask him "how high" while you're in the air :)

I'm excited to present this message to you, and I can't wait for this Sunday.

You absolutely need to be there. If you haven't seen Mike's post as to why, then go and read that.

I'll see you all Sunday and I don't want to hear any of your excuses as to why you can't make it!

Philippians 3 - To Know Christ

Philippians 3:9-11 - "⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

^"9and be found in him," - Ultimately, one day we will stand before Jesus and we want him to say, "well done, my good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21) That's what it means to be found in him. To recognize that it is not your deeds that are accomplishing great things, but Christ in and through you.

"not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law" - If you obeyed every single law, never sped in your car, never jaywalked, never stole anything; if you ate right, exercised daily, spent three hours helping others move furniture and didn't ask to be paid for it, you still wouldn't be "right" with God. Not that any of these things above are bad, but righteousness comes only when we trust in Christ. It doesn't come from following the law of the land.

"but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." - You have to have faith and trust in Jesus to be "right" with God. He exchanges our sin and our faults for his complete righteousness. (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

^"10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings," - Paul wants three things:

• He wants to know Christ. Completely. Perfectly.
• He wants to know the source of the power of Jesus' resurrection - God
• He wants the fellowship with Him of sharing in what Jesus endured - persecution

Paul was no stranger to that last one. He gave up everything to know Christ - friends, family, status, and freedom. We can do the same thing, but we have to make sacrifices in order to fully enjoy it.

What are you willing to give up in order to know Christ?

"becoming like him in his death," - We died to our sin. (see this post) and we became like Christ. That's what baptism symbolizes - a physical death. You are lowered into the watery grave and raised again to a new life with Christ.

^"11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." - Paul wasn't unsure of whether he would go to heaven or not - He was unsure of how he would meet God - whether by execution or death by old age. The attainment is of God's power - not ours.

Post-Vacation Part Three

Continuing from yesterday...

On Saturday morning, Cara and I awoke and headed back to Pigeon Forge to visit the Old Mill for breakfast. Taking Mike & Josh's recommendations, we thought that this would be a place not to miss and so, sadly we gave up breakfast at Buckhorn for the Old Mill,

and I wasn't disappointed.

The really cool thing about the Old Mill Restaurant is not it's decor or design. It's not the fact that it has an uberly amazing gift shop. It's not the friendly service, or the view, or even the massive portions of food. It's the fact that the Old Mill is simple.

Simple is awesome in this day and age, and there's nothing simpler than breakfast at the Old Mill. You have your choice of Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs, French Toast, or a combination of those, and with your breakfast, you get:

• A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice
• Freshly baked Buttermilk Biscuits
• Southern Style Cornmeal Grits
• and A Cup of Homemade Sausage Gravy

It was such a big breakfast that I couldn't finish it. If you are in Pigeon Forge, you have to eat at this restaurant. It's that good.

Since we spent the majority of our day in Gatlinburg on Friday, we decided to hang out in Pigeon Forge on Saturday and attend a show on the main strip. So, we selected carefully after rifling through what seemed like a hundered brochures and settled on Magic: Beyond Belief and I am so glad we did.

We enjoyed a two-hour spectacular of illusionary artistry. The magician, Terry Evanswood performed over thirty illusions for us to glimpse and even showed us how to do one with a rope. He employs the use of four stage hands and different animals such as cerval cats, a goose and a massive 540 pound White Bengal Tiger. We had third rows seats and they were absolutely amazing. I recommend this show to anyone who has a free afternoon while visiting. it is well worth the price of the ticket.

After the show, I took Cara to her favorite restaurant, Olive Garden for an extravagant dinner on our last night and the meal was excellent as always. We headed back to the Inn and began to pack for our trip back home, but the trip wasn't over yet because we had more to do on Sunday and I'll post about that tomorrow.

Remixing Old Stuff

One of my many hobbies is taking old video game music and remixing it for a current flavor and flair for today. I want to make game soundtracks sound like I think they should have. With that being said, I have created a page on the social site virb, where I will be uploading the remixes as I complete them in my spare time.

Here's the link to the page: Click this link here

And here's a sample for you:

Philippians 3 - The Old is Gone...

Philippians 3:7-8 - ⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ"

^"7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." - Paul finishes his list of accolades (see yesterday's post) and now he lowers the point to all of this and that's this one simple fact: Nothing matters except Jesus.

Wow. If we could all learn this simple truth, think of the things that would change. We wouldn't be in an economic recession right now, because people wouldn't be greedy. There would be no more war, no more famine, and no more suffering. People wouldn't be thought less of because of their economic, social, or racial status. The church as a whole would rise up to be what it was designed to be, a beacon of hope for everyone, instead of a petty clique of squabbling factions.

"⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" - Paul's not done by a long shot. After he thought of everything he had accomplished in his life, he basically says that he would throw it all away just for his relationship with Jesus. That brings up an interesting question:

Think of the one thing that matters to you the most. Would you consider that to be trash when compared with your relationship to Jesus. My wife and I love each other very much, but we both know that we are priority-two to each other. God has first place in both our lives, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

If your priorities are wrong, how will you reorder them this week?

Post-Vacation Part Two

Continuing on from yesterday's post.

Cara and I awoke Friday morning to our first breakfast at Buckhorn Inn. Having experienced their exquisite cuisine on Thursday night, I was anxious to see what awaited us for breakfast and I was not disappointed. Here was the breakfast menu:

Drinks: Coffee & Tazo Brand Hot Tea
Appetizer: 1/4 whole pineapple with strawberries
Breakfast Bread: Fresh Buttermilk Bisuits and Blackberry Scones (Cara's Favorite)
Main Course: Bananas Foster French Toast & Bacon

It may have been the best breakfast I have ever eaten. And watching the sunrise over the mountains from our breakfast window was breathtaking.

After lunch we headed to Pigeon Forge to hit some of the outlet stores and then we made our way to Ripley's Aquarium. It was absolutely amazing. They have thousands of different species of fish and their exhibits are very close to each fish's natural habitat. I was truly spellbound by the Seahorses, the Huge Stingrays, and the Barracuda, which I had never previously seen live before.

We spent the better part of our afternoon in the aquarium and then headed for Ripley's Mirror Maze. As a side note: Whatever you do, when you visit Gatlinburg, DO NOT PAY MONEY FOR THIS ATTRACTION. I have never been so disappointed with something in my entire life. I expected to go in and be lost for at least ten minutes and was stunned to find the exit in less than two and a half. Skip this one folks, you'll be glad that you did.

After the disappointment that was the maze, we were hesitant to try any of the other Ripley's Attractions. But we had purchased a combo ticket and so we had to find one more attraction to use our ticket on and we discovered Ripley's Haunted Adventure. This was Cara's absolute favorite attraction we attended in Gatlinburg. I did not jump until the end of the attraction, but if you want to find out what made me freak out, you'll have to visit it yourself.

Finally, we washed the evening down with dinner at one of my favorite eating spots, the Hard Rock Cafe. We walked in and were greeted by the melodious sounds of Guns 'N Roses and halfway through dinner were treated to "Love Addict" by Family Force Five. I almost choked on my HRC burger.

After dinner, we wound up taking a stroll through the main drag of Gatlinburg well into the night and visiting all of the little shops that it has to offer. I found it very peaceful and relaxing with nowhere to go and no timelimit. There's something about those moments that are invaluably priceless.

Tomorrow will talk about Saturday and the Old Mill.

Philippians 3 - Paul's Credentials

Philippians 3:4b-6 - "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."

"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:" - At first glance, it looks like Paul is getting ready to be a bit prideful and arrogant, but that is not the case at all. Paul had some impressive credentials, which we're getting ready to explore, but the fact is, they still fell short of God's grace. You can have the most impressive accolades in the world, but it's not about you - it's about Him.

"circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel," - We talked a little about this in yesterday's post. Circumcision was a way that the Israelites showed their devotion to God. All of the male children of Israel were to be circumcised on the eight day after they had been born. (If you still don't know what circumcision is, look it up.)

"of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews;" - Paul descended from the line of Benjamin, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel). This line had also produced some noteworthy people in Israel's history, most notably, King Saul. (1st Samuel 10:20-24) It was of very high esteem to belong to the tribe of Benjamin in Jewish culture. The two tribes of Benjamin and Judah were the only two tribes to return to Israel after the exile. (Ezra 4:1)

"in regard to the law, a Pharisee;" - Paul was a member of the Pharisees, a religious group at the time. He was tutored under Gamaliel, who was a very respected instructor of the day. Jewish readers in Philippi would have been extremely impressed by this particular credential.

^"as for zeal, persecuting the church;" - Let's not forget that beofre Jesus got ahold of Paul, his name was Saul and he thought he was doing the will of God by arresting members of the 'church' and bringing them before the authorities. He was present at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, and the disciples were scared to death of him before his conversion.

"as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." - Paul kept the law. Period. He was faultless in the eyes of the law. That doesn't mean that Paul didn't sin, but he had kept the law to the letter.

Why does Paul list all of these accolades? We'll find out tomorrow.